Best Selling Books by Joseph Mazur

Looks at coincidences and unlikely occurrences, delving into the mathematical concepts of probability and sharing stories of striking flukes and coincidences from around the world.

Like Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach, and David Berlinski’s A Tour of the Calculus, Euclid in the Rainforest combines the literary with the mathematical to explore logic—the one indispensable tool in man’s quest to understand the world. Underpinning both math and science, it is the foundation of every major advancement in knowledge since the time of the ancient Greeks. Through adventure stories and historical narratives populated with a rich and quirky cast of characters, Mazur artfully reveals the less-than-airtight nature of logic and the muddled relationship between math and the real world. Ultimately, Mazur argues, logical reasoning is not purely robotic. At its most basic level, it is a creative process guided by our intuitions and beliefs about the world.

An entertaining look at the origins of mathematical symbols While all of us regularly use basic math symbols such as those for plus, minus, and equals, few of us know that many of these symbols weren''t available before the sixteenth century. What did mathematicians rely on for their work before then? And how did mathematical notations evolve into what we know today? In Enlightening Symbols, popular math writer Joseph Mazur explains the fascinating history behind the development of our mathematical notation system. He shows how symbols were used initially, how one symbol replaced another over time, and how written math was conveyed before and after symbols became widely adopted. Traversing mathematical history and the foundations of numerals in different cultures, Mazur looks at how historians have disagreed over the origins of the numerical system for the past two centuries. He follows the transfigurations of algebra from a rhetorical style to a symbolic one, demonstrating that most algebra before the sixteenth century was written in prose or in verse employing the written names of numerals. Mazur also investigates the subconscious and psychological effects that mathematical symbols have had on mathematical thought, moods, meaning, communication, and comprehension. He considers how these symbols influence us (through similarity, association, identity, resemblance, and repeated imagery), how they lead to new ideas by subconscious associations, how they make connections between experience and the unknown, and how they contribute to the communication of basic mathematics. From words to abbreviations to symbols, this book shows how math evolved to the familiar forms we use today.

Named one of Book Riot''s Six Great Nonfiction Books about Time: a tour of clocks throughout the centuries--from the sandglass to the telomere--that reveals the physical, biological, and social nature of time "[A] mind-stretching book. . . . Skilfully written."--John Carey, Sunday Times (London) What is time? This question has fascinated philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists for thousands of years. Why does time seem to speed up with age? What is its connection with memory, anticipation, and sleep cycles? Award-winning author and mathematician Joseph Mazur provides an engaging exploration of how the understanding of time has evolved throughout human history and offers a compelling new vision, submitting that time lives within us. Our cells, he notes, have a temporal awareness, guided by environmental cues in sync with patterns of social interaction. Readers learn that, as a consequence of time''s personal nature, a forty-eight-hour journey on the space shuttle can feel shorter than a six-hour trip on the Soyuz capsule, that the Amondawa of the Amazon do not have ages, and that time speeds up with fever and slows down when we feel in danger. With a narrative punctuated by personal stories of time''s effects on truck drivers, Olympic racers, prisoners, and clockmakers, Mazur''s journey is filled with fascinating insights into how our technologies, our bodies, and our attitudes can change our perceptions. Ultimately, time reveals itself as something that rides on the rhythms of our minds. The Clock Mirage presents an innovative perspective that will force us to rethink our relationship with time, and how best to use it.

Mathematician Mazur traces the history of gambling from the earliest known archaeological evidence of dice-playing among Neolithic peoples to the first systematic mathematical games of change during the Renaissance, and explains the mathematics behind gambling--including the laws of probability, statistics, and betting against expectations. Photos.

Traces the epic history of Greek philosopher Zeno''s yet-unsolved paradox of motion, citing the contributions of top minds to the scientific community''s understanding of the elusive basic structure of time and space.

The fascinating story of an ancient riddle and what it reveals about the nature of time and space Three millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Zeno constructed a series of logical paradoxes to prove that motion is impossible. Today, these paradoxes remain on the cutting edge of our investigations into the fabric of space and time. Zeno''s Paradox uses the motion paradox as a jumping-off point for an exploration of the twenty-five-hundred-year quest to uncover the true nature of the universe. From Galileo to Einstein to Stephen Hawking, some of the greatest minds in history have tackled the problem and made spectacular breakthroughs, but through it all, the paradox of motion remains.

A supplementary guide which aims to encourage students to develop efficient skills for studying calculus. It is intended for use with any calculus book.

Em Acaso, como a matemática explica as coincidências da vida, Joseph Mazur observa de forma detalhada o que parece improvável, nos guia entre os conceitos matemáticos da probabilidade, e combina esses conceitos com anedotas sobre casualidades de todas as partes do mundo. O livro nos oferece uma prova da inevitabilidade do sublime e do inesperado, e vai interessar a qualquer um que já tenha se perguntado como as pequenas decisões tomadas em nossa vida nos levam a desfechos improváveis. Indispensável para entusiastas da matemática, Acaso nos ajuda a entender a verdadeira natureza da probabilidade.

La storia dei numeri e dei simboli matematici accompagna e incrementa l''arco della vicenda umana. È una saga epica, costruita dalla specie attraverso crolli di intere civiltà e progressi che sarebbero leggendari, se non fossero documentati. Con gli operatori matematici il genere umano solca i cieli e si avventura nello spazio cosmico, e allo stesso modo affronta il quotidiano sul pianeta. Affabulante e limpido nell''esposizione, Joseph Mazur, tra i più importanti studiosi e divulgatori della matematica, attraversa una storia di storie che lascia affascinati: dalla fondazione dei numeri su tavolette a scrittura cuneiforme a Babilonia quattro millenni or sono, all''invenzione dello «zero» nell''India arcaica, per arrivare alla rivoluzione europea, passando attraverso culture perdute come quelle inca e maya. Matematici, fi losofi , mercanti, maghi – una folla sterminata contribuisce a un ciclo mitico che ha per protagonisti la somma, la sottrazione, la moltiplicazione, la divisione, l''identità, le radici quadrate, il pi greco, le potenze. La forza dei simboli, liberati nella storia universale, muta la comprensione del mondo e la percezione dello spazio e del tempo – e proprio su questi aspetti, in cui si intrecciano mente e realtà, l''analisi di Mazur risulta illuminante, carica di intuizioni, stupefazione e rigore, e capace di svelare associazioni e labirinti inconsci con cui viviamo la realtà d''ogni giorno.

Tre millenni fa Zenone di Elea costruì una serie di paradossi logici per provare l''impossibilità del movimento. In uno di essi sosteneva che se "congelassimo" una freccia in volo in un qualsiasi istante, essa apparirebbe ferma, e se è ferma in quell''istante lo sarà in qualunque istante. Il "crudele" Zenone (come lo definì Paul Valéry) decretò così la crisi di un basilare modello mentale, al quale continuiamo a fare ricorso per rappresentarci la realtà. L''Eleate, fra i primi, mise in relazione il movimento con lo spazio e il tempo, ponendo una domanda cruciale: il tempo e lo spazio sono continui come una linea ininterrotta oppure risultano dall''accostamento di un insieme di unità discrete come un filo di perle? Nessuna risposta trovata è tuttavia risolutiva. Da Galileo a Einstein, dal piano coordinato di Cartesio all''iperspazio di Calabi, la definizione dell''essenza del movimento ha acceso l''interesse di generazioni di "filosofi naturali", che, con tenacia, hanno provato a colmare il divario tra i loro modelli matematici e la tessitura della realtà. Un problema che il calcolo infinitesimale sembrava avere risolto, ma che nel XX secolo venne riformulato alla luce del dualismo onda-particella e che la fisica del XXI secolo - in particolare la teoria delle stringhe - potrebbe ridefinire dalle fondamenta.

⭑美國書籍評論網站Book Riot「時間」主題之最佳非文學書籍⭑ ⭑《出版人週刊》星號書評⭑ ⭑《學數學，弄懂這39個數字就對了》作者伊恩・史都華推薦⭑ 古人的時間是有形之物，能被年、月、時、分切割； 哲學家說時間和空間不可分割，是運動的度量，且是不連續的， 近代物理學家說，過去和未來不存在； 生物學家說時間存在於每個細胞中； 而這裡的你體驗到的時間因心境、年齡而改變它消逝的速度，但亞馬遜雨林裡的住民卻沒有時間的概念⋯⋯ 在這麼多種解釋中，究竟哪一個才是時間真正的樣子呢？ 最受歡迎的宇宙大哉問之一——「時間到底是什麼？」 從鐘的歷史，歷代哲學家、物理學家、生物學家對時間的解釋到你我的時間感，探索時間百變的本質。 「讀來令人心曠神怡，很有技巧的書寫。」──約翰．凱瑞（John Carey）《星期日泰晤士報》（The Sunday Times） 獲獎作家、數學家Joseph Mazur在本書描述了人類對於「時間」的各種解釋。 第一部從計量說起，談及計時之物——「鐘」的演化如何與人們對時間的概念俱進。從古人發明的水鐘、日晷以及各種曆法，到近代的電子錶、石英鐘及銫原子鐘等更精密的時間測量儀器。這些演變除了可見科技上的進步，也能看見人類文明的轉變與對時間的定義與再定義。 第二部將談及人們對時間的想法有哪些解釋及改變，包括歷來哲學家對時間本質的深層思考：時間是否和空間一樣是不連續的？時間是否也可以不斷分割有最基本單位？絕對時間是否存在等。 第三部則將從「物理學」的角度探討時間。愛因斯坦提出的時間與牛頓古典物理學的時間有何不同，這與愛因斯坦後來提出相對論有什麼關聯嗎？如果將時間與空間融合，近代物理學的宇宙觀又將如何轉變？ 第四部則將從主觀的「感受」來測量時間，提及我們的意識如何受到環境與社會文化的引導。例如：亞馬遜叢林的亞蒙達瓦部落並沒有「時間」的概念；時間感會因為快樂或恐懼或快或慢；以及當年紀漸長，時間似乎會過得愈來愈快等感受。而這些感覺，是否也有比較科學的合理解釋呢？ 最後在第五部，將提及生物與時間的關係。時間在此變成一把生命的量尺，作者將提及生物學對於老化的解釋，我們的腦如何知道晝夜的節律（腦內時鐘），細胞如何因年齡不同而有不同的生長速度，以及時間和記憶、睡眠的關聯為何。 本書在許多章節最末收錄也了一些關於時間的小故事，記錄了作者訪問卡車司機、跑者、囚犯和鐘錶匠等人對時間的看法。在本書中，作者用故事性的筆法，從不同面向描繪人們如何定義、理解與感受的時間，以及科技、身體狀態與心智如何影響我們對於時間的認知。本書將讓讀者重新思考與時間的關係，以及如何更加善用時間。

Cos''è il tempo? Questa domanda ha affascinato filosofi, matematici e scienziati per migliaia di anni,ma sembra non poter trovare risposta. Perché il tempo sembra accelerare con l''età? Qual è la sua connessione con i cicli della memoria? A fornire ognuna di queste risposte ci prova Joseph Mazur: partendo da Zenone per arrivare alla fisica quantistica, ci aiuta a capire come il rapporto tra uomo e tempo si è evoluto nel corso della storia. La tesi di Mazur è molto semplice: il tempo vive dentro di noi. Le nostre cellule sono dotate di consapevolezza temporale, e così un viaggio sullo Space Shuttle può sembrare più breve di un viaggio di sei ore in treno. Quello di Mazur è un viaggio divertente e pieno di intuizioni su come cambiano le nostre percezioni, compreso lo scorrere del tempo.

Em Acaso, como a matemática explica as coincidências da vida, Joseph Mazur observa de forma detalhada o que parece improvável, nos guia entre os conceitos matemáticos da probabilidade, e combina esses conceitos com anedotas sobre casualidades de todas as partes do mundo. O livro nos oferece uma prova da inevitabilidade do sublime e do inesperado, e vai interessar a qualquer um que já tenha se perguntado como as pequenas decisões tomadas em nossa vida nos levam a desfechos improváveis. Indispensável para entusiastas da matemática, Acaso nos ajuda a entender a verdadeira natureza da probabilidade.

This article seeks to understand how China has managed to achieve such high rates of growth over the past four decades despite the absence of a veritable rule of law. A large body of research suggests that a strong rule of law is a key prerequisite for sustained economic development, but China''s unique political economy which vests limited power in its judiciary seems to defy conventional wisdom on this count. Taking as a starting point Yang Yao''s concept of ''disinterested government'', that is, a government that eschews differentiated interests within a society in favour of a concerted focus on national development, the authors examine the mechanisms by which Chinese leadership has maintained extraordinary growth without the benefit of the rule of law. Specifically, this article argues that the defining features of a disinterested government fulfill many of the same roles as the rule of law from a developmental perspective.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and early initiation is associated with greater difficulty quitting. Among adolescent smokers, those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by difficulties associated with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention, smoke at nearly twice the rate of their peers. Although cigarette smoking is highly addictive, nicotine is a relatively weak primary reinforcer, spurring research on other potential targets that may maintain smoking, including the potential benefits of nicotine on attention, inhibition, and reinforcer efficacy. The present study employs the most prevalent rodent model of ADHD, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and its control comparison Wistar Kyoto (WKY) to examine the effects of acute and chronic subcutaneous nicotine injections on performance in three operant response inhibition paradigms. Functional activation in select regions of the prefrontal cortex and striatum was also explored. Acute (0.1, 0.3, 0.6 mg/kg) and chronic (0.3 mg/kg) nicotine increased impulsive responding regardless of strain, dose, or operant schedule. Dose-dependent decreases in latency to initiate the task were also observed. SHR receiving daily nicotine injections showed less activation in the nucleus accumbens shell compared to saline controls. Despite close similarities, one of the three operant tasks did not detect response inhibition deficits in SHR relative to WKY. A closer examination of these tasks may highlight critical components involved in the amelioration of response inhibition deficits.